Winches are hauling or lifting devices, which pull in or let out a line. Winches function by winding or unwinding the line that is coiled around a rotating drum. A winch fairlead is commonly used to direct the line as it winds or unwinds along the drum. Typically, the line must be at a shallow angle to the fairlead in order to minimize friction between the line and the internal edges of the fairlead that surround the line. Thus, a problem arises if the line is connected to a load that is at a wide angle to the fairlead because friction between the line and the fairlead reduces the pulling capacity of the winch and shortens the life of the line (can cause the line to fray, for example).